Plotting lines with different line weight

[Currahee]

I print everything in monochrome and sometimes the lines in the plot looks as if they have different line weight; some look thicker than others. I can go back and delete the lines that look smaller and replace them with a different color and it will fix the problem.

 

Any idea why?

[ReMark]

How do you normally handle lines you want thicker/thinner? Are you using polylines in your drawing and giving them width? Are you using Layer Properties Manager and assigning lineweight by layer? Or are you taking care of things in your ctb or stb plot file?

[Currahee]

How do you normally handle lines you want thicker/thinner? Are you using polylines in your drawing and giving them width? Are you using Layer Properties Manager and assigning lineweight by layer? Or are you taking care of things in your ctb or stb plot file?

All drawings so far (which is only 2 since upgrading) have been set at default or by layer. Since upgrading I have not had a need to change the line weight on anything. But when I do need a different line weight I use the Layer Properties Manager.

[ReMark]

Since you are controlling lineweight by layer through the Layer Properties Manager then that is where you need to look. But I wouldn't neglect taking a quick peek at the plot style file you're using either (which is?) as it may be doing something you hadn't intended.

[Coosbaylumber]

Old simple way was to assign a certain line width to a certain color. Need to use plotter set up for this. It will take a standard #4 Cyan color and always plot out that line width based on pen or color number at (maybe) .015 wide. The line may look thin on your computer monitor, but once off the plotter is is measurablely wider looking.

 

 

Wm.

[ReMark]

Coos: I think BD is setting his lineweight via Layer Properties Manager. This feature was added back a few releases ago. You and I are more familiar with the method you mention.

 

Newer releases of AutoCAD also give the user the ability to view lineweight on screen with the Hide/Unhide Lineweight button.

[Coosbaylumber]

Shows up in the often used 2008 version here. Used to be that back in pen plotting days could not do a line thinner than the pen tip was. Only wider via multi-stroking.

 

I think the variation mentioned may be due to plotter drivers. As noticed one time our plotter would not react, as it mentioned (via monitor) the software did not permit plotting colors, like cycan, it could only do it in B&W modes.

 

As the secretary was using some sort of "Other" software that required colors, she set up everything in Windows within one minute of the plotter being installed, whereas we did not know it arrived and did so via the Autocad control boxes. This made for an instant conflict at the plotter wires. The H-P plotter had a manual override mode and every one was happy when it was invoked as she could plot in color (those biggie Christmas portraits) and we our plans, set 90 degrees to save on paper.

 

Wm.